Machine for pushing pegs out of a game board

ABSTRACT

A machine for playing a game wherein a table is provided having a hole or a number of holes arranged to contain pegs or spills; a pusher member is mounted so that it can be moved around the table to a position reckoned by the operator to be a winning position, the pusher member and table are then brought into engagement by means provided so that a peg or spill can be pushed out of the hole or holes in the table; the engagement of the table with the pusher member can be arranged by mechanical or electrical means and the table brought to the pusher member or vice versa.

United States Patent 1191 Triggs 51 Dec. 24, 1974 [54] MACHINE FOR PUSHING PEGS OUT OF A 792,206 10 1935 Francear 273 139 G ME BOARD 1,055,766 10/1953 France 46/240 1,213,676 11/1970 Great Britain 273/139 lnventori g y grams Trlggs, Albans, 137,708 5/1934 Austria 273/139 ng an 287,900 4/1953 Switzerland 46/240 Assignee: Remalo Engineering p y 338,746 7/1959 Swuzerland 46/240 Albans England Primary Examiner-Anton Oechsle [22] Filed: Nov. 9, 1971 1 Assistant ExaminerArnold W. Kramer [21] PP NOD: 197,082 Attorney, Agent, or Firm1-Io1man & Stern [57] ABSTRACT lszl 273/139 A machine for playing a game wherein a table is prol5 ll CL 3/00 vided having a hole or a number of holes arranged to [58] .Fleld of Search 273/139 138 A; 16/240 contain pegs or spills; a pusher member is mounted so that it can be moved around the table to a position [56] References C'ted reckoned by the operator to be a winning position, the

UNITED STATES PATENTS pusher member and table are then brought into en- 2,062,144 11 /1936 Perry 273 139 e s y means provided 80 that a P of spill can 2,490,689 12/ 1949 Kimsey Y 273/139 be pushed out of the hole or holes in the table; the en- 2,581,22l 1/1952 Turner et a1 273/ 139 X gagement of the table with the pusher member can be 7 arranged mechanical O1 electrical 11103118 and the 852 755 11/1960 Great Britain 273/138 A UX table bl'lought to thepusher member or vlce versa- 782,937 3/1935 France 273/139 2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 7:43- 1 I l I I 117 1 ll 0 o 0o :l on o-e- 000 l o o o o 1 :5 3 0:000 %lf lg%l 4 i? o o o o 0 o 1 9 1 1 l A I I I] 1 '1- I I I l 1l o oooo ;ll o '3, 1': 5222 :22, I 1 I] o o 0 0 O 0 0 O l| o o o o a o 0 l 0 o o o o I o 0 0 0 I o o o o o o o W/IO I 1 :22. 000

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sum 1 (i 5 FIG,I.' E

PATENTED 55324 974 sum 2 pr 5 MACHINE FOR PUSI-IING PEGS OUT OF A GAME BOARD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a machine for playing a game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention consists of a machine for playing a game which includes a table having at least one hole formed therein, a pusher member, means for bringing the table and the pusher member into engagement so that a peg or spill fitted in the hole or one or more of the holes can be pushed out of the hole by the pusher member, and controls for positioning the pusher member prior to operation of the engagement means,

' in alignment with a hole or the suspected position of a hole.

In one form of the game, the table is provided with only one hole whose position is unknown to the operator. The table is arranged to be rotated after each win" to reconceal the position of the hole, the table being provided with a map of Treasure Island or the like to conceal the hole. In an alternative form of the game, the table is provided with a number of holes whose position is known to the operator, but the location of the or each winning peg is concealed from the operator. The winning peg or pegs is or are marked on their heads at the back of the table. This embodiment may be provided with a map covering the holes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a plan view partly broken away of a machine for playing a game according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cut away side view of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, the view looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation of abow member for use in the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of a second embodiment of the invention wherein the table of the machine is mounted vertically.

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation of the machine shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view in front elevation of a third embodiment of the invention wherein the pusher member is electrically operated at cross-section.

FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-- 8 of FIG. 7, the view looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7, the view looking in the direction of the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mode by way of example, the drawings show a machine for playing a game having base plate 1. Bolted to the base plate 1 is a front side plate 2 and a rear bracket 3. On this rear bracket 3 and a front side plate 2 is bolted a top plate 4.

These first four members serve as a frame on which the components on the machine are based.

Seated on the base plate 1 is a component plate 5 on which are based a left bracekt 6 and a right bracket 7.

2 Bolts through the bracket feet hold the brackets (6, 7)

and component plate 5 to the base plate 1. Journalled in the brackets (6, 7 is a shaft 8, on the right hand side of which is fixed an operating handle 9.

The operating handle 9 has a return spring 10 which acts through a lug piece 11 fixed to the shaft 8, so that when pulled towards, the front plate 2 the handle is urged to return to its rest position toward the rear of the machine to a position such that a back stop 12 so mounted on the shaft 8 stops the rotation of the shaft. The back stop 12 has an adjustable stop screw 13 for adjusting the position of the rest position.

The shaft 8 has welded thereof two lugs 14, one of which only is shown in FIG. 3. These lugs 14 carry a rod 15 running parallel to the shaft 8. This rod 15 in turn carries bow members 16, (FIG. 4). These bow members are formed of resilient wire and act as a resilient link between the rod 15 and a parallel rod 17. The rod 17 is journalled in an operating plate 18 pivotally mounted on a pivot rod 19 carried by the rear bracket 3. Also carried on the rod 17 are'struts 20 which are fixedly mounted on a table carrier 21 by a bolt 22. The bolt 22 pivotally retains a link 23 at its front end. The rear end of the link 23 is pivotally held to the rear bracket 3-by a pin 24. All the aforesaid rod and pins are provided with washers 25 and split pins 26. for retaining their respective components.

The table carrier 21 is mounted so as to move in a direction B perpendicular to the top plate 4 and constrained to move in the perpendicular direction B by the fact that the respective distances between the piv-jotal centers 22 and 26 and 17 and 19 are equal, and form a parallelogram linkage system.

The table carrier 21 has aledge with sides 27 at the top which carry a table 28. The table 28 has holes 29 formed therein. These holes are provided to carry headed pegs 30. The shanks of the pegs fit snugly in the holes 29.

Positioned above the table 28 is a pusher member 31 of similar diameter of the shanks-of the pegs 30. The pusher member 31 is mounted with its axis parallel to the direction B and to the axes of the holes 29. The pusher member is carried in bushes 32 and 33 of a left and right traveller 34 and 35. The travellers have sleeves 36 which are adapted to run on left and right location rods 37 and 38. The location rods 37 and 38 are mounted on axles 39 and 40 respectively which are controlled via bevel gearing by left and right knobs 41 area of the table 28. Their axes are parallel to the plane of the top plate 4 and perpendicular to the direction B so that the travellers 34 and 35 acting through the bushes 32 and 33 and carried by their sleeves 36 on the location rods 37 and 38 maintain the axis of the pusher member 31 parallel to the axes of the holes 29.

The table carrier 21 has a sloping bottom which when the carrier 21 is in its resting position lines up with a chute 141 havinga mouth 142.

The machine functions as follows.

A chart or map is placed on the table 28 hiding the holes 29. A winning peg is placed in a hole 29 and an operator to whom the position of the winning peg is unknown turns knobs 41 and 42 to swing or scan the location rods 37 and 38. If the left hand rod 37 is scanned anticlockwise as viewed from above and the rod 38 is scanned clockwise, the sleeves 36 will be urged towards the outer end of the rods and the pusher member move towards the rear of the table. When the operator thinks he has reached a winning position he stops turning the knobs and pulls the handle 9 towards him. This rotates the shaft 8 anti-clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3 (from the right side). The shaft 8 raises the bow members 16 mounted on the rod carried on lugs 14 which are fixed to the shaft 8. The bow members 16 act through the struts 20 via the rod 17 on the table carrier 21 to elevate the table carrier 21.

If the pusher member 31 is above the winning hole then the winning peg is pushed out and falls down onto the bottom 140 of the carrier 21 and via the chute 141 to the mouth 142.

If the pusher member 31 misses a hole, then the bow member 16 acts to prevent damage to the pusher member or table by providing resilience between thehandle 9 and the table 28. The action of the bow member can more easily be explained by looking at FIG. 4 when it can be seen that if the rods 17 and 15 are caused to move toward each other then upper part of the bow can slide between the parts of hook portion 51 which is an extension of the lower part of the bow member. The bow member must be formed of sufficiently, springy material, such as spring steel so that the weight of the table does not counteract the torsion of the bow member keeping the rods 17 and 15 apart.

The machine as shown can have a disc operated device incorporated therein which can lock the operating handle 9 by engaging with teeth formed in the enlargement of the end of the shaft 8.

The reference in the description to left and right, front and rear and top and bottom is intended to be in no way restrictive. Thus, the operating handles could equally be on the left and the table 28 could be mounted more or less vertically.

In a further embodiment of the invention, thereis shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 a machine in which its table is arranged to be fixed. A playing surface 71 on the front of the machine is provided with holes 74 and pegs 75 in the same way as the previous embodiment but in this embodiment they are arranged to be ejected by a pusher member 72 arranged behind the table 70 so as to eject thepegs 75 towards the front of the machine. A suitable catching arrangement (not shown) is provided to catch the pegs 75.

The pusher member 72 is mounted the same Way as in the previous embodiment in a bush 76. The pusher member 72 is spring loaded within the bush so that if it misses a hole and contacts the table when the machine is operated the member 72 will merely lift in the bush 76. The bush 76 is mounted in the same way as previously on travellers 77 and 78 which can slide on location rods 79 and 80. The rods 79 and 80 are arranged on axles 81 and 81 to be rotatable through an arc. Control of the axles 81 and 81 is achieved by control knobs 82 and 82' through reduction gearing 83.

The rods 79 and 80 are arranged on the axles 81 and 81' so that they can be'pushed towards the table 70 against springs 84 (only one shown). This is so that the rods can take the pusher member 72 with them to urge the pusher member 72 onto the table 70. The mounting of the rods is such that they each extend from a bush 85 having a striker disc 86 secured thereto. The striker disc 86 is arranged to be acted on by a rod 87 extending On the front of the table there is arranged a cursor arrangement 90. The cursor 92 itself is mounted so as to be slidable horizontally along bars 91 and 91 which are secured at each end to a runner 93 and 93' which are in turn slidable vertically along bars 94 and 94'. The cursor 92 is connected to the pusher bush 76 through wires 95 and 95" which pass around pulleys 96 arranged so that leftward movement of the bush 76 causes leftward movement of the cursor and the cursor follows the pusher member 72.

The spring loaded arrangement coupled with the control handle 88 for urging the pusher member 72 onto the table can be replaced by a solenoid actuated pusher member 72 and an electric circuit for the solenoid controlled bya push button. The location rod arrangement in this embodiment can be replaced by a chain drive arrangement. In this arrangement which is shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the crossing location rods are replaced by vertical rod 101 and horizontal rods 102 and 102 respectively, running parallel with the sides of table 110.

A cursor 103 is solidly joined to a push memb'er bush 104 and the resultant unit is moved by two chain driven travellers 105 and 106 which respectively are mounted on the horizontal and vertical rods 102, 102' 101 and 101, the travellers 105 being slidably mounted for horizontal movement on the rods 102 and 102', but solidly fixed to the vertical rod 101 while the traveller 106 is slidably mounted on'the rod 101. The rod 101 is solidly fixed to the push member bush 104 and the bush 104 in turn is slidably mounted for vertical movement on the vertical rod 101. Hence, when chain 107 is moved by knob 109,'the traveller 106 is caused to shift the rod 101' vertically and carry therewith the bush 104 and the cursor 103 mounted on the bush, with the bush 104 sliding on the rod 101. When knob 116 is turned, chains 107 shift the two travellers 105 in a horizontal direction and movement of the bush 104 and the associated cursor 103 in the horizontal direction is transmitted via the vertical rod 101. Chains 107. are driven by the lower horizontal rod 102' coupled via clutch 108 to knob 109. The chains 107' are driven by sprocket wheels 111 mounted on vertical shaft 112 via bevel gear assembly 113, chain 114, clutch 115 to knob 116.

The clutch 108 and clutch 115 are slipping clutches and are interposed in the driving linkage between the control knob 109 and knob 116 and the chain-drives so that an operator cannot damage the machine by driving the cursor onto the stops too hard.

The pusher member bush 104 supports a solenoid l 17 which causes a pusher member 118 to act through a hole 119 in the cursor 103 on the table 110. The table has holes filled with spills of paper on which a number is printed. The pusher member 118 ejects these spills from the table 1l0'so that they can be collected by the operator. I v

The method of playing the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the cursor 92 can be positioned by the control knobs 82 and 82 over a prize winning location on the table 70. This embodiment is intended for use when the holes are covered by a map or such like M fitted between the cursor 92 and the table surface 71 and thus hiding the pegs 75.

A fourth embodiment of the machine is in the form that the table is provided with only one hole whose position is unknown to the operator. The table is arranged to be rotated after each win to reconceal the position of the hole, the table being provided with a map of Treasure Island or the like to conceal the hole in the same way as the third embodiment. The arrangements for urging the pusher member into a hole may be either according to the first or second embodiment.

In the foregoing description of the first and second embodiments the pusher member has been described as pushing out a peg. This peg can be replaced by a spill. When pushed out the spill is presented by the machine to the operator. The spills can be arranged to be printed with different values.

I claim:

1. A machine for playing a game comprising a rectilinear board fixed in a vertical position, said board having front and rear sides and provided with a plurality of holes extending from the front side to the rear side in which holes pegs or spills can be inserted, a map positioned on the front side of the board for concealing the holes, a vertical rod located behind the rear side of the board, said vertical rod having upper and lower ends, a traveller fixed to each of said ends of the vertical rod, upper and lower horizontal rods on which said travellers are mounted for sliding movement, a pusher member, a pusher member bush for the pusher member,

said bush being slidably mounted on said vertical rod, a cursor of transparent material solidly joined to the pusher member bush, a third horizontal rod solidly fixed to the pusher member bush and extending perpendicularly with respect to said first vertical rod, a vertically movable traveller in which said third horizontal rod slides, means operably related to said vertically movable traveller for moving said traveller vertically to shift said third horizontal. rod vertically and carry there with the pusher member bush and cursor with the pusher member bush sliding on the vertical rod, further means operably related to the travellers at the ends of the vertical rod for moving said travellers horizontally along the upper and lower horizontal rods whereby the pusher member bush and cursor move horizontally by means of the vertical rod, said cursor having a portion located in spaced relationship to the front side of the board, and means for engaging the pusher member with the rear side of the board so that the pusher member may be inserted into anyone of said holes to eject'the peg or spill therefrom through the front side of the board. 2. The machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the cursor is provided with a hole through which the pusher member can be inserted into the hole in the board and the pusher member engaging means is an electrically operated solenoid. 

1. A machine for playing a game comprising a rectilinear board fixed in a vertical position, said board having front and rear sides and provided with a plurality of holes extending from the front side to the rear side in which holes pegs or spills can be inserted, a map positioned on the front side of the board for concealing the holes, a vertical rod located behind the rear side of the board, said vertical rod having upper and lower ends, a traveller fixed to each of said ends of the vertical rod, upper and lower horizontal rods on which said travellers are mounted for sliding movement, a pusher member, a pusher meMber bush for the pusher member, said bush being slidably mounted on said vertical rod, a cursor of transparent material solidly joined to the pusher member bush, a third horizontal rod solidly fixed to the pusher member bush and extending perpendicularly with respect to said first vertical rod, a vertically movable traveller in which said third horizontal rod slides, means operably related to said vertically movable traveller for moving said traveller vertically to shift said third horizontal rod vertically and carry therewith the pusher member bush and cursor with the pusher member bush sliding on the vertical rod, further means operably related to the travellers at the ends of the vertical rod for moving said travellers horizontally along the upper and lower horizontal rods whereby the pusher member bush and cursor move horizontally by means of the vertical rod, said cursor having a portion located in spaced relationship to the front side of the board, and means for engaging the pusher member with the rear side of the board so that the pusher member may be inserted into anyone of said holes to eject the peg or spill therefrom through the front side of the board.
 2. The machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the cursor is provided with a hole through which the pusher member can be inserted into the hole in the board and the pusher member engaging means is an electrically operated solenoid. 